Victoria Baths axed early in city budget
Notts IMC | 20.01.2010 18:05 | Health | Public sector cuts | Social Struggles
After a long period of silence from the council the Save Victoria Baths campaign have learnt that the authority intend to close Victoria Leisure Centre on 31 March 2010, despite having no approved plans for development and no planning permission to demolish what is already there. The campaign allege that the council intends to relocate staff in February, making it more likely that it will close earlier than then.
Council plans to close Victoria Leisure Centre first emerged in 2008 and generated considerable public opposition. Although campaigners were unable to prevent the closure, they did manage to get the council to promise to keep it open until 2011 and agree to build a (very expensive) new leisure facility on the site. Campaigners are concerned that the council may now go back on both promises leaving the community without a leisure centre.
On the newswire: Council does the dirty on the Save Victoria Bath Campaign | 2008: Victoria Leisure Centre Public Meeting to Oppose Closure | Save Victoria Baths from closure, Demo at the Council House | Council propose to shut Victoria Baths, Sneinton | City Council intends to Close popular leisure facility
Previous features: Credit crunch hits Notttingham | Nottingham City Council: Mired in Corruption | Council Under Fire From Campaign To Save Leisure Centre
Links: Save Victoria Baths | Petition | City council: Budget consultation
The plans to push forward the closure, emerge as part of the council's budget report, currently subject to a mandatory public consultation. The official report (available as a Word document and as a pdf) states, "Executive Board has given approval to undertake the replacement of VLC. The original assumption was to keep VLC open until 31 March 2011. The proposed revised timetable is to close VLC from April 2010 with a re-opening of the facility in the final quarter of 2011/12."
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Nottingham City Council response to article on Victoria Leisure Centre
21.01.2010 15:21
Below is the Council's response to the article and points raised by campaigners:
Claim that the centre will close earlier than April and no planning permission is in place:
NCC response - from the outset it was intended to move as quickly as possible to develop the new facility. The design team have worked up proposals which will be ready to submit for planning permission in February. Some staff may move to new jobs earlier but the centre will remain open until the end of April 1st. The City Council is currently consulting Victoria Leisure Centre staff to find suitable alternative employment within the council – with some likely to go to the new Djanogly Community Leisure Facility which is due to open in April.
Claim that it is being closed early to save money lost in Iceland:
NCC response - It is not closing early – we always said we would start development as soon as possible and that’s what we are doing. The closure of this facility has nothing to do with Icelandic banks or cost reductions having to take place. Capital for the development of this scheme within the Leisure Centre Transformation Programme has been approved by the Council. On the re-opening of the new facility all revenue costs for operating the centre will be fully funded.
Claim that this will adversely affect disadvantaged people:
NCC response - The development will be the largest investment made so far from the City Council’s Leisure Transformation programme and will lead to this part of the city having one of the best leisure centres in Nottingham. The new Victoria Leisure Centre has been an important catalyst in securing further investment in the area such as the regeneration of Sneinton Square, improving pedestrian connections between the area and the city centre and looking at potential development of Nottingham Creative Village nearby.
Claim that the council could demolish the whole building:
NCC response - The Council has no intention of demolishing the whole building, having made a commitment to build a new facility in line with the choice made by the majority of local residents. The funding for the Capital Development for this scheme has been secured and has been ring-fenced within the Leisure Centre Transformation Programme for the development. There are no City Council elections until May 2011, by which time a substantial amount of the rebuild will be completed.
Nottingham City Council